Data processing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A data processing apparatus according to the present invention is capable of writing video and/or audio data to a storage medium. The data processing apparatus includes: a power controller for controlling powering on or off; a signal processing circuit for generating data; and a drive section for writing the generated data to the storage medium. In response to a powering-off instruction, the power controller stops supplying power to the drive section but continues to supply power to the signal processing circuit and the power controller itself. Since hardware elements remain energized, they do not need to perform initialization operations when the apparatus is powered on. Similarly, corresponding software elements are also in an operable state, and therefore do not need to perform initialization processes. Therefore, the signal processing circuit can immediately start processing thereafter.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/318,203 filed Dec. 23, 2005, which claims priority to JapaneseApplication No. 2004-376331 filed on Dec. 27, 2004, the entiredisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to operations of an apparatus whichreceives a broadcast wave and records a program. More specifically, thepresent invention relates to an operation of a recording apparatus afterpower is turned on and until recording is started, and, an operation ofa recording apparatus when power is turned off.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recording apparatuses (recorders) for recording broadcast programs ontoa storage medium such as a magnetic tape, a DVD, or a hard disk havebeen prevalent. By using such a recording apparatus, a user can not onlyrecord a program which is being played back, but, with the use of ascheduled recording function, can also record a program on a designatedchannel at a designated point in time.

FIG. 5 shows the functional block structure of a conventional recorder100. Consider a situation where the recorder 100 has not been poweredon, but the user wishes to record a program which is being played backon a TV set (not shown). When the user powers on the recorder 100, amessage that the recorder 100 has been booted is displayed on a statedisplay section 140, and the recorder 100 supplies power to itsrespective components in a predetermined order, and initialize them.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary procedure by which the recorder 100 performsinitialization. When the user presses a power button (not shown) on themain body of the recorder 100, power is supplied from a power controller130 to a signal processing circuit 110, and the components in the signalprocessing circuit 110 are booted one after another. Specifically, asystem controller 111 is initialized first, thus transitioning to astate where it is capable of executing programs. The system controller111 reads a program from a ROM 120 b in a data storing section 120, andloads the program onto a RAM 120 a. Based on this program, the systemcontroller 111 initializes an operation system (OS). Concurrently withthis process, power is also supplied to a drive section 150, and a bootprocess is started so that drive section 150 becomes ready to performdata read/write to a DVD 51.

After the OS initialization, the components in the signal processingcircuit 110 are initialized. This initialization is performed in thefollowing order: a playback processor 116, a tuner 160 as well as itsinput signal processor (e.g.,. an A/D conversion section) 161, a digitalinput/output interface 112, a recording processor 113, and then arecording controller 114. When the boot of the recording controller 114has been completed, it is then confirmed whether the boot of the drivesection 150 has been completed or not. These steps pertain to a hardwareinitialization process. Thereafter, a software initialization process,e.g., initialization of the file system and application software, isperformed.

Once the hardware and software initialization processes are completed, adigital signal of a broadcast program is input to the interface 112, andcompressed/encoded by the recording processor 113. The resultant data(e.g., program data) is stored (buffered) to a buffer memory 115 underthe control of the recording controller 114. When a predetermined dataamount is reached, the drive section 150 writes the buffered data on theDVD 51. Thus, it may be said that recording is started at the pointwhere program data begins to be stored in the buffer memory 115. For theabove-described technique, one may refer to Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication No. 2004-147200, for example.

The above-described process is generally the same also for scheduledrecording, except that the recorder 100 is powered on by the powercontroller 130, which internalizes a timer microcomputer (not shown),rather than by the user.

A conventional recorder must perform various initialization processesafter being powered on, thus causing a problem in that it requires along boot time before recording can be started. For example, some DVDrecorders that are currently on the market may take a boot time of about30 seconds. Since it is impossible to record any program during the boottime, a user of such a recorder cannot begin recording from the exactscene at which the user-wished to begin recording.

Note that a recorder might be operated in such a manner that therecorder is powered on earlier than the actual recording start time,thus completing booting by the recording start time, whereby a programwill be recorded without disruption problems. However, such an operationis only applicable to the case where the recording start time ispreviously known (e.g., when performing a scheduled recording), and isnot applicable to all kinds of recording.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to overcome the problems described above, an objective of thepresent invention is to reduce the boot time required by a recorderafter the recorder is powered on and until a recording can be started,and also enable recording of a program in a manner which preventsdisruptions in its video and audio.

A data processing apparatus according to the present inventioncomprises: a power controller for controlling powering on or off; asignal processing circuit for generating video and/or audio data; and adrive section for writing the generated data to a storage medium. Inresponse to a powering-off instruction, the power controller stopssupplying power to the drive section but continues to supply power tothe signal processing circuit and the power controller itself.

The data processing apparatus may further comprise a receiving sectionfor receiving a signal containing the video and/or audio; the signalprocessing circuit may generate the data based on the received signal;and in response the powering-off instruction, the power controller maystop supplying power to the receiving section.

The data processing apparatus may further comprise a data storingsection; and before the power controller stops supplying power to thedrive section, the signal processing circuit may execute at least oneoperation selected from the group consisting of: determination of a typeof the storage medium; determination of whether writing to the storagemedium is possible or not; determination of a remaining capacity of thestorage medium; and acquisition of a control parameter necessary for thedrive section to perform a data write operation, and the signalprocessing circuit may write information indicating results of theoperation to the data storing section.

In response to the powering-off instruction, the power controller maycontinue to supply power to the data storing section.

The signal processing circuit may comprise: a system controller forcontrolling an operation of the entire data processing apparatus; aninterface for receiving signal related to the video and/or audio; arecording processor for generating the data based on the receivedsignal; and a recording controller for outputting the generated data tothe drive section, and instructing the drive section to write thegenerated data, and in response to the powering-off instruction, thepower controller may continue to supply power to at least the systemcontroller.

Based on an instruction from a user, the power controller may choosewhether or not to continue to supply power to the signal processingcircuit.

Alternatively, a processing apparatus according to the present inventioncomprises: a power controller for controlling powering on or off; asignal processing circuit for generating video and/or audio data; and adrive section for writing the generated data to a storage medium. In apowered-off state where the power controller does not supply power tothe drive section but continues to supply power to the signal processingcircuit and the power controller itself, in response to a powering-oninstruction, the power controller supplies power to the drive sectionand the signal processing circuit starts generating the data.

The signal processing circuit may further comprise: a system controllerfor controlling an operation of the entire data processing apparatus; aninterface for receiving a signal related to the video and/or audio; arecording processor for generating the data based on the receivedsignal; a recording controller for outputting the generated data to thedrive section, and instructing the drive section to write the generateddata; and a buffer memory for temporarily storing the data, and inresponse to the powering-on instruction, the recording controller maystore the generated data to the buffer memory.

The system controller may determine whether a recordable storage mediumdata is present in the data processing apparatus, and confirm whetherthe drive section has booted to a state where the drive section is readyto perform a write process; and when it is determined that a recordablestorage medium is present in the data processing apparatus and the drivesection has booted to the state where the drive section is ready toperform a write process, and if the data stored in the buffer memory hasreached a predetermined reference data amount, the system controller mayoutput an instruction to the recording controller, and based on theinstruction, the recording controller may output the stored data to thedrive section and instructs the drive section to write the data.

The data processing apparatus may further comprise a data storingsection; the data storing section may store information indicating aresult of determination as to whether it is possible to write data tothe storage medium; and if the result of the determination indicatesthat it is possible to write data to the storage medium, the systemcontroller may output the instruction to the recording controller.

The result of the determination may be acquired and stored to the datastoring section before supply of power is stopped.

The data processing apparatus may be capable of displaying the result ofthe determination to the display device as a notification to a user; andat least when the result of the determination indicates that it isimpossible to write data to the storage medium, the data processingapparatus may display the result of the determination via the displaydevice.

The result of the determination may be acquired and stored to the datastoring section before supply of power is stopped.

Alternatively, a data processing apparatus according to the presentinvention comprises: a power controller for controlling powering on oroff; a signal processing circuit for generating video and/or audio data;and a drive section for writing the generated data to a storage medium.When a powering-off instruction is received, the power controllercontinues to supply power to the signal processing circuit, the drivesection, and the power controller itself; and in response to thepowering-off instruction, the signal processing circuit places the drivesection in a sleep state.

According to the present invention, even in a powered-off state of theapparatus, power continues to be supplied to at least some of thecomponents of the signal processing circuit and to the power controller.Since such hardware elements always remain energized, they do not needto perform initialization operations when the apparatus is powered onthe next time. For the same reason, software elements such as theoperating system, the file system, and the application software arealready in an operable state, and therefore initialization processes forsuch software elements are also unnecessary. Therefore, the signalprocessing circuit can immediately start processing, and begin to storethe obtained data to the buffer memory. Since the data in the buffermemory is written after boot of the drive section, in effect, recordinghas begun since the start of processing by the signal processingcircuit. Therefore, the user is able to start recording from immediatelyafter the exact scene at which the user wished to begin recording. Sincethe boot time is greatly reduced, a very convenient apparatus isprovided.

Other features, elements, processes, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of preferred embodiments of the presentinvention with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the functional block structure of a recorder1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when the recorder 1is powered off.

FIG. 3 is a chart showing a procedure by which initializations areperformed in the recorder 1 after being powered on.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D are graphs showing transitions in the dataamount in a buffer memory 15 according to various memory managementmethods.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the functional block structure of aconventional recorder 100.

FIG. 6 is a chart showing a procedure by which initializations areperformed in the recorder 100.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodimentof the data processing apparatus according to the present invention willbe described. In the following embodiment, the data processing apparatuswill be illustrated as an apparatus for receiving a broadcast wave andrecording a program (recorder).

FIG. 1 shows the functional block structure of a recorder 1 according tothe present embodiment. The recorder 1 includes a signal processingcircuit 10, a data storing section 20, a power controller 30, a statedisplay section 40, a drive section 50, and a tuner 60.

The basic function and operations of the recorder 1 are as follows. Therecorder 1 receives an analog broadcast wave and subjects it to apredetermined compression/encoding process, thus generating an MPEG-2program stream of a program (hereinafter referred to as a “programstream”). Moreover, the recorder 1 extracts TS packets of a specificprogram from an MPEG-2 transport stream of a digital broadcast wave, andgenerates a program stream based on the compressed/encoded video dataand (compressed) encoded audio data composed of the data within thatpacket. Thereafter, the recorder 1 writes the generated program streamon a DVD 51 (e.g., a DVD-RAM) by utilizing the drive section 50.

Although the present embodiment illustrates the storage medium as beinga DVD, this is only exemplary. A different type of optical storagemedium (e.g., a Blu-ray disc) may be used, or a magnetic storage mediumsuch as a tape or a hard disk may also be used. However, it is necessaryto write data in a data format which is in accordance with the type ofthe storage medium adopted. The DVD 51 itself is a removable medium, andtherefore is not a component of the recorder 1. However, in the casewhere the storage medium is a non-removable medium (e.g., acommonly-available hard disk), the storage medium will be a component ofthe recorder 1.

Hereinafter, the functions of the components of the recorder 1 will bedescribed first, followed by descriptions of operations of the recorder1 related to the present invention.

The signal processing circuit 10 is a circuit which processes digitalsignals. Specifically, the signal processing circuit 10 performsencoding, decoding and format conversion of digital signals, as well asgeneration of a program stream to be written to the DVD 51, for example.The signal processing circuit 10 includes a system controller 11, adigital input/output interface 12, a recording processor 13, a recordingcontroller 14, a buffer memory 15, and a playback processor 16.

The system controller 11 is a control microcomputer or a special-purposeCPU chip, for example, which controls not only the signal processingcircuit 10 but the entire recorder 1. Specifically, in accordance withinstructions issued from the system controller 11, the componentsdescribed below will realize their functions and operations. The digitalinput/output interface 12 (hereinafter referred to as an “interface 12”)performs a format conversion, an image quality enhancing process, etc.,for a digital signal which has been input from the tuner 60. Forexample, in the case where the digital signal is a program signalrelated to high definition (HD) video, the interface 12 performs aformat conversion process which involves a thinning process or the liketo decrease definition. Note that, although the interface 12 isillustrated as receiving a digital signal, the interface 12 mayalternatively receive an analog signal, subject it to an A/D conversionprocess, and output a digital signal. In this case, an analog signalprocessor 61 may be provided in the interface 12.

The recording processor 13 performs an image compression process, anaudio compression process, and multiplexing of the compressed image dataand audio data, and sends the multiplexed data to the recordingcontroller 14. Note that, while a digital broadcast wave is beingreceived at the tuner 60, if the received signal is a program signalrelated to standard definition (SD) video, the recording processor 13does not need to perform a compression process. Instead, based on aninput digital signal (elementary stream), the recording processor 13 maygenerate video packs and audio packs, etc., each of which has data sizeof 2048 bytes, multiplex them, and generate a program stream. Note thata digital signal may be supplied to the recording controller 14 via aroute (not shown) which does not involve the recording processor 13.

Based on an instruction from the system controller 11, the recordingcontroller 14 controls the data read and data write operations of thedrive section 50. The recording, controller 14 sends data (programstream) which is input from the recording, processor 13 to the drivesection 50, and instructs the drive section 50 to write the data to theDVD 51. When performing a data read, the recording controller 14specifies to the drive section 50 as to which data is to be read, andtransfers to the playback processor 16 the data that has been read. Whenperforming these processes, the recording controller 14 temporarilysends a program stream to the buffer memory 15, thus allowing theprogram stream to be stored therein. This is because a more stable writeto the DVD 51 is made possible by beginning a write after a certainamount of program data (program stream) has been stored to the buffermemory 15.

The buffer memory 15 is a memory for temporarily storing a programstream. In the present embodiment, the buffer memory 15 temporarilystores a program stream until the drive section 50 completes booting.

The playback processor 16 performs a separation process of separatingthe multiplexed video and audio encoded-data from the program streamwhich has been written to the DVD 51. The playback processor 16 alsoperforms a video decoding process of decoding, the video encoded datainto digital video data, and an audio decoding process of decoding audioencoded data of various standards into digital audio data. The playbackprocessor 16 further converts the digital data into analog data, andoutputs it to a display device. The playback processor 16 is also ableto perform a process of superposing a predetermined menu onto the videoto be played back. The video and audio are output to a display devicefor displaying video (e.g. a TV set) and a device such as a loudspeaker.

The data storing section 20 is a block including a volatile memory (RAM)20 a and a non-volatile memory (ROM) 20 b. It is assumed that the ROM 20b is a memory (e.g. EEPROM) which accepts data write. The RAM 20 astores data such as status of a storage medium which has been mounted tothe drive section 50 of the recorder 1 (e.g., whether the disk is of atype which supports writing or whether the disk has any vacant area) aswell as control parameters such as the laser power value which isoptimum for a data write utilizing the drive section 50. As necessary,the retained data may also be written to the ROM 20 b for furtherretention. Moreover, a boot program for the recorder 1 which is storedin the ROM 20 b is loaded to the RAM 20 a, for use by the systemcontroller 11 when executing that program. Alternatively, the systemcontroller 11 may directly execute such a program from the ROM 20 b, andin this case, the program does not need to be loaded and loaded onto theRAM 20 a.

The power controller 30 individually controls power to each component inthe recorder 1, and also controls power to the entire recorder 1.Specifically, the power controller 30 performs power control in responseto powering on/off instructions from a user. Such an instruction isinput to the recorder 1 as the user presses a power button (not shown)on the main body of the recorder 1 or a remote control, for example.Then, the power controller 30 passes the instruction to the systemcontroller 11. The power controller 30 also includes a timermicrocomputer (not shown), and keeps the system's time information undermanagement.

For example, when a scheduled recording is designated, the powercontroller 30 allows power to be supplied to each component of therecorder 1 at a designated point in time. Moreover, based on apowering-off instruction from the user, the power controller 30 cuts offpower to any component other than the signal processing circuit 10, orcuts off the power of the entire recorder 1. When only the signalprocessing circuit 10 is to be energized, the power controller 30 mayperform further control such that only a specific element(s) (e.g. thesystem controller 11) in the signal processing circuit 10 is energized.

Unless otherwise specified, in the present specification, “powering on(turning on)” means supplying power, whereas “powering off(turning/cutting off)” means stopping supply of power. The expressions“powering on” and “powering off” are to be used not only with respect topowering on/off of the entire recorder 1, but also with respect topowering on/off of each individual component in the recorder 1.

The state display section 40, which may be composed of a liquid crystal,an FL tube (fluorescent display tube), or the like, displays to the userinformation as to whether the recorder 1 has been powered on. Forexample, the current time or the like may be displayed in a powered-offstate. In a powered-on state, the recordable time at that point, or asymbol indicating playback, fast-forward, rewind, etc., may bedisplayed.

The drive section 50 includes an optical head (not shown) for emittinglaser light toward the DVD 51. For example, the drive section 50receives program data of a program to be recorded, and writes theprogram data on the DVD 51 by using this optical head. Moreover, thedrive section 50 reads and output program data which has been written.When writing program data, the drive section 50 adjusts the intensity ofthe laser light which is emitted from the optical head so as to becomeoptimum for writing, and performs a write at that intensity. Theoperation of making an adjustment so as to enable writing under theoptimum conditions is referred to as a learning operation. Moreover,when the DVD 51 is slightly warped (tilted), the drive section 50changes the position of an objective lens in the optical head inaccordance with the warpage of the DVD 51, thus performing focusingcontrol so that the focal point position of the laser light is locatedon an information recording surface of the DVD 51. Furthermore, thedrive section 50 adjusts the optical head position to perform trackingcontrol so that the focal point position of laser light is located on atrack formed on the DVD 51. Although “program data” has been illustratedin the above description, any type of data other than program data mayalso be used. For example, data which has been input via a route otherthan via the tuner (e.g., a line input) may also be used.

The tuner 60 receives an analog broadcast wave or a digital broadcastwave from a broadcast station and demodulates it. As for the analogbroadcast wave, since a different frequency will be used by eachbroadcast station, the tuner 60 selects an appropriate channel based onfrequency. The signal on the selected channel is converted by the analogsignal processor 61 (which performs an A/D conversion) into a digitalsignal for output. As for a digital broadcast wave, a digital signalprocessor 62 of the tuner 60 extracts a TS packet of an appropriateprogram from the received transport stream, in accordance with thechannel number designated by the signal processing circuit 10. Thedigital signal processor 62 further acquires an elementary stream fromthe TS packet, and outputs it as a digital signal. The digital signalprocessor 62 functions as a so-called TS decoder.

Next, the operations of the recorder 1 will be described. A main featureof the recorder 1 according to the present embodiment is that, even in apowered-off state of the recorder 1, the recorder 1 continues to supplypower to at least some of the component of the signal processing circuit10 and to the power controller 30. Since such hardware elements remainenergized, they do not need to perform initialization operations whenthe recorder 1 is powered on the next time. For the same reason,software elements such as the operating system, the file system, and theapplication software have also been already loaded and are in anoperable state, and therefore initialization processes for such softwareelements are also unnecessary. Therefore, upon completion of the boot ofthe tuner 60 as well as its analog signal processor 61 and digitalsignal processor 62, the signal processing circuit 10 of the recorder 1can immediately start processing, and begin to store the obtained datato the buffer memory 15.

Hereinafter, the operations of the recorder 1 will be specificallydescribed. First, an operation to be performed when the recorder 1 ispowered off will be described. Then, an operation (boot operation) to beperformed when, in response to a powering-on, resuming from apowered-off state will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a processing procedure when the recorder 1 is powered off.It is assumed that the power of the recorder 1 has been turned on, sothat the recorder 1 is already in a state where it is capable ofrecording programs and playing back recorded programs.

Firstly, at step S21, the power controller 30 of the recorder l receivesa powering-off instruction from the user. When the power controller 30notifies this instruction to the system controller 11, the systemcontroller 11 instructs the recording controller 14 to identify the typeof a storage medium which is mounted to the drive section 50. Therecording controller 14 causes the drive section 50 to operate, andacquires the physical characteristics (e.g. shape), opticalcharacteristics (e.g. reflected light amount, reflectance), and datastructure of the storage medium. As a result, at step S22, the recordingcontroller 14 is able to identify the type of the storage medium. In thepresent embodiment, it is assumed that the mounted storage medium is arecordable DVD 51 (DVD-RAM).

Note that, although there exist various types of optical disks, a DVD 51differs from a CD, Blu-ray disk, or the like in term of their opticalcharacteristics, and therefore can be differentiated based on suchcharacteristics. Even among recordable DVDs, a DVD-RW can bedistinguished from a DVD-RAM based on differences in the sectorstructure and the like.

Next, at step S23, it is determined whether writing to the storagemedium is possible or not. In this exemplary case, the system controller11 determines that the mounted DVD 51 accepts writing. This process isnecessary in the case it is determined that the mounted storage mediumis a recordable DVD-R which permits only one write, for example, becauseno more data can be written to such a DVD-R once it has experienced afinalization process.

At the next step S24, the recording controller 14 identifies theremaining recordable capacity. At step S25, the recording controller 14measures various parameters (optimum laser power value, tilt amount,etc.) which are necessary for a data write. These parameters werealready “learned” when the recorder 1 became capable of writing andreading, and have since been retained.

At step S26, the system controller 11 writes to the RAM 20 a informationsuch as: the identified storage medium type; whether writing is possibleor not; remaining capacity; and various parameters. When the process upto step S26 is ended, the system controller 11 notifies to the powercontroller 30 that powering-off is now possible. Then, at step S27, thepower controller 30 cuts off the power to the drive section 50, thetuner 60, and other components (not shown). However, the powercontroller 30 does not cut off the power to the signal processingcircuit 10 and the RAM 20 a, but keeps these elements energized.Needless to say, the power controller 30 itself also remains energized.Thereafter, at step S28, the state display section 40 displaysinformation indicating a powered-off state.

Note that, assuming that the recorder 1 has a power consumption of about22W in the powered-on state, the recorder 1 will have a powerconsumption of about 7W in the powered-off state described above. Amongother reasons, this is because power to the drive section 50 and thetuner 60 (which consume a lot of power) has been cut off, and becausethe signal processing circuit 10 does not consume much power since it isnot performing a recording process although being energized. If power tothe signal processing circuit 10 and the RAM 20 a, which are to be keptenergized according to the present embodiment, were cut off (as if in aconventional recorder after being powered off), the power consumptionwould be about 2.5W. This is because the power controller 30 would stillneed to be energized in order to be able to detect a powering-oninstruction from a remote control or the like, and to stand by for ascheduled recording, etc.

Energization of the signal processing circuit 10 may be set in a moredetailed manner. For example, it would be possible to cut off power tothe playback processor 16 in the signal processing circuit 10 becausethe playback processor 16 being energized or unenergized will not affectdelay in the start of recording. Alternatively, instead of cutting offthe power, the clock which defines operation speed may be stopped. Powercut or stopping of the clock would effectively reduce power consumption.

On the other hand, the playback processor 16 may be kept energized, inwhich case GUI data which is stored in the RAM 20 a can be readimmediately after a boot operation (described below) of the recorder 1,so that a menu can be rapidly displayed. Another advantage in keepingthe playback processor 16 energized is that playback can also beimmediately started, if there is a desire to begin playback whenstarting recording.

Note that the processes from steps S22 to S26 only need to be performedbefore turning off the power to the drive section 50, the tuner 60,etc., and the order of processing is not limited to that describedabove. For example, in practice, information concerning the storagemedium (such as the storage medium type, whether writing is possible ornot, and remaining capacity) is likely to be acquired and stored in theRAM 20 a before powering off. Therefore, when receiving a powering-offinstruction, the processes from steps S22 to S24 can be omitted. Theprocess of step S26 concerning such information can also be omitted.Moreover, since various parameters which are necessary for writing aremeasured in the drive section 50 before powering off and have since beenretained, the process of step S25 can be omitted when receiving apowering-off instruction.

Next, an operation to be performed when the recorder 1, having beenplaced in an off state through the aforementioned powering-off process,is again powered on will be described.

FIG. 3 shows a procedure by which initializations are performed in therecorder 1 having been powered on. The processes which are necessitatedby the powering on are mainly initializations of the newly energizedelements. Since power to the drive section 50 and the tuner 60 has beencut off through the powering-off process shown in FIG. 2, power of thedrive section 50 and the tuner 60 is first turned on. Then, variousinitialization processes will be started.

Specifically, the entire tuner 60 is powered on, and an initializationis started. Thereafter, initializations of the analog signal processor61 and the digital signal processor 62 in the tuner 60 are performed.Then, instructions (a connection request and a boot startinginstruction) are issued from the recording controller 14 to the drivesection 50, and connection between the drive section 50 and therecording controller 14 is confirmed. Thereafter, the drive section 50will take some time in booting, so that stable data write and read willbecome possible.

It must be noted that immediately after initializations of the entiretuner 60 and its signal processor 61 and 62 are completed, theprocessing by the signal processing circuit 10 is started so thatcompressed/encoded data of a program begins to be stored to the buffermemory 15. This process is performed concurrently with the boot of thedrive section 50. Since the signal processing circuit 10 has been keptenergized even after powering off, the signal processing circuit 10 hasalways been in an operable state. Upon receiving a digital signal, thesignal processing circuit 10 is ready to start processing to generate aprogram stream. Therefore, the hardware initializations which arerequired in the conventional initialization procedure (FIG. 6) (i.e.,initialization of the system controller 11, program loading, OSinitialization, initialization of the playback processor 11,initialization of the interface 12, and initialization of the recordingprocessor 13 and the recording controller 14) are no longer necessary,and software initializations such as file system initialization andapplication software initialization are no longer necessary.

Once the boot of the drive section 50 is completed and the amount ofdata in the buffer memory 15 has reached a predetermined data amount,the data is sent to the drive section 50 so as to be written to the DVD51. Since the start of storage to the buffer memory 15 occurs early,delay in the start of recording can be greatly alleviated. Specifically,in the recorder 1 according to the present embodiment, the period oftime which lapses from the powering on to the beginning of storage tothe buffer memory 15 is about 1 second. Since recording is started in 1second after powering on, the scene which the user has wished to recordwill be hardly missed. This is drastically rapid as compared to the 30seconds or more which are required by the conventional recorder 100 tostart recording. As compared to the procedure up to start of recordingby the conventional recorder 1 as shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen thatthe procedure up to start of recording according to the presentembodiment as shown in FIG. 3 is greatly shortened due to omission ofinitialization processes and the like.

In the recorder 1 of the present embodiment, care must be taken toprevent buffer overflow, because a program stream will begin to bestored to the buffer memory 15 immediately after powering on. When abuffer overflow does occur, or becomes highly likely to occur, it ispreferable to change. the method of managing the subsequent datastorage. Moreover, when a buffer overflow has occurred, it is preferableto make disruptions in the video and the like as difficult to beperceived as possible. Therefore, management methods for the buffermemory 15 will be described below.

FIGS. 4A to 4D show transitions in the data amount in the buffer memory15 according to various memory management methods. The horizontal axisrepresents time, whereas the vertical axis shows the last address ofdata to be stored in the buffer. The horizontal axis is taken so thatthe time of starting storage to the buffer memory 15 is at zero. Thevertical axis is taken so that data is stored to the buffer memory 15from the smaller address first, the last address being denoted as B_(E).It is conveniently assumed that the last address value corresponds tothe data amount. For example, when data is stored up to the last addressB_(E), the data amount will come to B_(E).

First, FIG. 4A will be referred to. Suppose that the boot of the drivesection 50 is completed' at time t_(a1). At this point, the last addressof the data which has so far been stored is B₀, the stored data amountalso being B₀. The recording controller 14 reads the data which has beenstored in the buffer memory 15, and sends it to the drive section 50;then, the drive section 50 writes this data on the DVD 51. Thereafter,if data is stored up to the address B₀, for example, the recorder 1 willwrite the data which has so far been stored to the DVD 51. It ishereinafter assumed that data will be written to the DVD 51 every timeit exceeds the data amount B₀. However, this is only exemplary, and maybe changed. The data amount B₀ will be referred to as a “reference dataamount”.

Next, FIG. 4B will be referred to. The drive section 50 in the recorder1 may become slower to boot due to aging, insufficient power supply, orthe like. For example, the boot of the drive section 50 may be completedat time t_(a2), which comes later than time t_(a1). Further suppose thatthe data amount reaches B₀ at time t₁ (=time t_(a1) in FIG. 4A), whichcomes before time t_(a2), and that the data amount reaches B_(E) at timet₂. The data amount B_(E) corresponds to the buffer-full state.

If time t₂<time t_(a1), as shown in FIG. 4B, the stored data cannot bewritten to the DVD 51 because the boot of the drive section 50 has notbeen completed. Therefore, completion of the boot of the drive section50 will be awaited, and only after the boot completion will the data inthe buffer memory 15 be written to the DVD 51. Thereafter, the recordingcontroller 14 once clears the buffer memory 15 to perform a bufferinitialization process. Assuming that the buffer initialization processis completed at time t₃, the time slot in which recording of a programhas been performed is from time 0 to time t₂, as well as from time t₃onward. In other words, the data from time t₂ to time t₃ cannot bestored, meaning that the recording of the program is interrupted duringthis period. For example, suppose that the maximum data amount B_(E) ofthe buffer memory 15 is 31 Mbytes, and that this amount of data resultsin a playback time of 23 seconds. When playback is performed under theseconditions, the video will be suddenly disrupted after 23 seconds fromthe start of playback, and be played back again from a point 10 secondsahead, for example. This will be very awkward to the user playing backthe video.

Therefore, a management method as shown in FIG. 4C may be adopted. InFIG. 4C, storage of data is started at time t_(s). The time period fromtime 0 to t_(s) is equal in length to the time period from time t₁ (atwhich the data amount reaches. B₀) to the boot-completed time t_(a2) inthe drive section 50 shown in FIG. 4B. In other words, the time to startstorage is intentionally delayed. By starting the data storage from timet_(s) which is thus defined, it is ensured that the amount of storeddata will reach the reference data amount B₀ at time t_(a2), i.e., thepoint in time when the boot of the drive section 50 will be completed.Thus, data can be written to the DVD 51 without allowing buffer overflowto occur.

If the management method shown in FIG. 4C is adopted after a bufferoverflow has occurred, any subsequent buffer overflow can be prevented.Alternatively, the management method shown in FIG. 4C may be adoptedbefore a buffer overflow occurs. For example, when considering agingetc. of the drive section 50 alone, it is unlikely for theboot-completed time t_(a2) of the drive section 50 to suddenly becomelate. Therefore, the boot-completed time may be monitored, and theaforementioned management method may be adopted when the boot-completedtime comes to fall after a certain point. For example, by deciding thata lag of 2 seconds or more will not be tolerated, the management methodmay be changed when a boot completion time which used to be 15 secondshas been extended to 17 seconds. Alternatively, the recording controller14 may issue a command to the drive section 50, and monitor the point intime at which the recording controller 14 receives a response from thedrive section 50. Then, the system controller 11 may determine whetheror not to adopt the management method shown in FIG. 4C based on thistime.

Next, FIG. 4D will be referred to. In FIG. 4D, the buffer becomes fullat time t₂. However, unlike in FIG. 4B, the buffer is not initializedafterwards, but continues storage by simply overwriting data fromaddress 0. Overwriting is continued until boot-completed time t_(a2), sothat data will be overwritten up to address B_(u). Therefore, althoughit is impossible to playback the data from time 0 to time t₄ (at whichdata is first stored up to the address B_(u)), it is still possible toretain in the DVD 51 the data from time t₄ to time t_(a2), which is freefrom disruption, because initialization of the buffer is not performed.When played back, the program is not disrupted in the middle. Thereforethe user will feel far less awkward than in the method shown in FIG. 4B,which allows the program to be interrupted. If any other memory isavailable in addition to the buffer memory 15, the data from time t₂ totime t_(a2) may be stored to that memory. According to this managementmethod, the program can be recorded without disruption.

When any management method different from the basic management methodshown in FIG. 4A has been adopted, the system controller 11 may laterdetermine whether or not to switch to the basic management method. If anaccidental buffer overflow occurs, a different management method (e.g.,the management method shown in FIG. 4C) is adopted for a certain period.Then, after the lapse of that period, if the system controller 11determines the possibility of another buffer overflow to be low, themanagement method shown in FIG. 4A may be adopted.

In order to be able to write the data stored in the buffer memory 15 tothe DVD 51, it is imperative that the boot of the drive section 50 hasbeen completed. Therefore, it is also important that the drive section50 can rapidly complete its boot. Therefore, in connection with thestructure of the recorder 1 according to the present embodiment, amanagement method which is effective for realizing a rapid boot of thedrive section 50 will now be described.

Note that, in the case where the management method shown in FIG. 4C isadopted, the recording start time is time t_(s). Since time t_(s) isdetermined based on the boot-completed time t_(a2) of the drive section50, the drive section 50 becoming rapider to boot makes it possible toreduce the amount of time required until recording can be started, whichin effect means to the user that the recorder 1 has become rapider toboot. Moreover, if the drive section 50 becomes rapider to boot, it ispossible to reduce the amount of memory used in the buffer memory 15.The freed memory can be utilized for any other purpose, or it would alsobe possible to adopt a buffer memory which has a smaller capacity andtherefore is less expensive.

In order to make the drive section 50 rapider to boot, the recorder 1utilizes the information (the storage medium type, whether writing ispossible or not, the remaining capacity, and parameters such as theoptimum laser power value and the tilt amount) which was written to theRAM 20 a at step S26 in FIG. 2. In other words, the system controller 11of the recorder 1 transfers the information which is stored in the RAM20 a to the drive section 50 via the recording controller 14. The drivesection 50 utilizes this information to complete boot. This settingprocedure eliminates the period of time which would have been requiredto acquire the aforementioned information after powering on. As a resultof this, the drive section 50 will take about 10 seconds until bootcompletion.

The system controller 11 regularly checks whether boot of the drivesection 50 has been completed, with an interval of every 200 ms afterpowering on. As a result, the recorder 1 will be able to start a datawrite process to the DVD 51 within 200 ms after completion of the bootof the drive section 50.

Note that there is no problem in allowing the information which wasstored to the RAM 20 a when powering off to be used after a subsequentpowering-on because most currently-available recorders are unable toeject a DVD unless powered on. A DVD which has been loaded in apowered-off state usually remains mounted in a subsequent powered-onstate, which justifies utilizing the information concerning that DVD(e.g., remaining recordable capacity).

On the other hand, in a conventional recorder, information such as thestorage medium type, whether writing is possible or not, and theremaining capacity is determined after data has been buffered for about20 seconds since powering on; the same is also true of the acquisitionof various parameters such as the optimum laser power value and the tiltamount. The amount of time required for such determination andacquisition (setting time) naturally affects the amount of time requireduntil completion of the boot of the drive section. For example, theamount of time required until completion of the boot of the drivesection, including the aforementioned setting time, has conventionallybeen about 20 seconds for a DVD drive. Thus, it will be seen that theboot time of the drive section 50 according to the present embodiment isreduced by about ½.

In order to keep the signal processing circuit 10 and other elementsenergized in a powered-off state so as to allow information to beretained in the RAM 20 a, a power of about 7W is required. Since thisvalue is greater than that of a conventional recorder (2.5W), some usersmay not approve the increase in power consumption. Therefore, therecorder 1 may be arranged so as to allow the user to choose between: arapid boot mode, in which boot is completed in one second at the cost ofa power consumption of 7W; and a normal boot mode, in which bootrequires 20 seconds or more but the power consumption is reduced to2.5W. The system controller 11 may write a flag identifying the selectedmode to an EEPROM 20 b, for example, because once the normal boot modeis selected, the RAM 20 a will no longer be energized after poweringoff. By writing such a flag to the EEPROM 20 b, the recorder 1 will beable to continue to operate in the selected mode.

Moreover, the usage of the recorder 1 may be monitored by the powercontroller 30 of the recorder 1, and if a long period of non-use isdetected (e.g., when the recorder 1 has not been powered on for a week),the recorder 1 may automatically switch from the rapid boot mode to thenormal boot mode to reduce power consumption.

Although the above-described powering-off process illustrates a casewhere the RAM 20 a is kept energized so as to retain information such asthe storage medium type. Alternatively, such information may be writtento a buffer (not shown) in the power controller 30 or to the ROM 20 bImplemented as an EEPROM, in which case the RAM 20 a will no longer needto stay energized. This will make for a further reduction in powerconsumption.

The tuner 60 of the recorder 1 shown in FIG. 1 is not only capable ofreceiving a broadcast wave from an antenna or the like, but also capableof receiving a signal of a program which is input via a network, e.g.,cable television. A set-top box or the like is also encompassed withinthe notion of the tuner 60. The recorder 1 may have a function to recorda program which is distributed via a network. In this case, a componentwhich is identical to the digital signal processor 62 of the tuner 60may be provided between the interface 12 and the recording processor 13.

It will be appreciated that, in connection with the conventionalprocedure up to a start of recording as shown in FIG. 6, any one or moreprocesses may be omitted by utilizing the concept of the presentinvention. As a result, the amount of time required until recording canbe started will be reduced by a period corresponding to the processingtime of any such omitted process(es). For example, although the presentembodiment illustrates an example where the entire signal processingcircuit 10 of the recorder 1 is powered on or off, the effects of thepresent invention can also be obtained by keeping energized the systemcontroller 11 alone, rather than the entire signal processing circuit10. In that case, the initialization process of the system controller11, the program loading process, the OS initialization process, and theapplication software initialization process are omitted, whereby theboot time of the recorder 1 until recording can be started is greatlyreduced. The same principle also applies to any components other thanthe system controller 11.

Since information concerning the storage medium (e.g., whether writingis possible or not and remaining capacity) is retained in the RAM 20 aeven in a powered-off state, the recorder 1 may notify this informationto the user immediately after boot. For example, by displaying via thestate display section 40 or a display device that the storage mediumcannot accept writing, the user is allowed to know immediately afterpowering on that a recordable storage medium needs to be mounted, thusbeing able to be quick in action. For the user's peace of mind inexecuting a recording, an assuring notice that “recording to the storagemedium is possible” may be given, or the remaining recordable time maybe notified, on the basis of the retained information.

In the description of the above embodiment, powering-on (turning on)meant supplying power, whereas powering-off (turning/cutting off) meantstopping supply of power. However, in the case where the drive section50 has a sleep mode, the notion of powering on/off of the drive section50 may be extended to include resuming from a sleep state as well astransitioning to a sleep state.

A sleep mode refers to a mode of operation in which power consumption iskept low while power is being supplied. When the drive section 50 is ina sleep state, power is being supplied to some or all of the componentsof the drive section 50, but control for some blocks in the drivesection 50 that consume large power (e.g., a driving system such as amotor) is suspended. Alternatively, the clock for a control LSI (notshown) of the drive section 50 is stopped.

Transition to a sleep state is realized, for example, when the systemcontroller 11 (FIG. 1) having executed software sends a command fortransitioning to sleep (sleep command) to the drive section 50 based onthe processing of the software. When the system controller 11 has placedthe drive section 50 in a sleep state, the power controller 30 continuesto supply power to the signal processing circuit 10, the drive section50, and the system controller 11 itself.

On the other hand, a resume from a sleep state will require transferringa resume command or a process of resetting the drive section 50. Thus, aresume may take some time.

In the above embodiment, the powering on/off of the drive section 50 mayread as “resuming from a sleep state” and “transitioning to a sleepstate”, respectively, in which case the power consumption will also bereduced. Such an alteration would also be effective in practicing thepresent invention.

A recorder according to the present invention is able to start recordingafter about one second since powering on. Therefore, the user is able tostart recording from immediately after the exact scene at which the userwished to begin recording. The boot time is greatly reduced as comparedto that of a conventional recorder, which would have required 20 to 30seconds until recording can be started. Thus, a very convenientapparatus is provided.

While the present invention has been described with respect to preferredembodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the artthat the disclosed invention may be modified in numerous ways and mayassume many embodiments other than those specifically described above.Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover allmodifications of the invention that fall within the true spirit andscope of the invention.

This application is based on Japanese Patent Applications No.2004-376331 filed on Dec. 27, 2004 and No. 2005-369257 filed on Dec. 22,2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

1. A data processing apparatus comprising: a power controller forcontrolling powering on or off; a drive section for reading at least oneof video and audio data from a storage medium; a signal processingcircuit for processing at least one of the video and audio data; andwherein, in response to a powering-off instruction, the power controllerstops supplying power to the drive section but continues to supply powerto the signal processing circuit and the power controller itself, andthe data processing apparatus further comprises a receiving section forreceiving a signal containing at least one of a video signal and anaudio signal; the signal processing circuit generates the data based onthe received signal; and in response the powering-off instruction, thepower controller stops supplying power to the receiving section.
 2. Thedata processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the data processingapparatus further comprises a data storing section; and before the powercontroller stops supplying power to the drive section, the signalprocessing circuit executes at least one operation selected from thegroup consisting of: determination of a type of the storage medium;determination of whether writing to the storage medium is possible ornot; determination of a remaining capacity of the storage medium; andacquisition of a control parameter necessary for the drive section toperform a data write operation, and the signal processing circuit writesinformation indicating results of the operation to the data storingsection.
 3. The data processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, inresponse to the powering-off instruction, the power controller continuesto supply power to the data storing section.
 4. The data processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein, the signal processing circuit comprises:a system controller for controlling an operation of the entire dataprocessing apparatus; an interface for receiving the signal containingat least one of video signal and the audio signal; a recording processorfor generating the data based on the received signal; and a recordingcontroller for outputting the generated data to the drive section, andinstructing the drive section to write the generated data, and inresponse to the powering-off instruction, the power controller continuesto supply power to at least the system controller.
 5. The dataprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein, based on an instruction from auser, the power controller chooses whether or not to continue to supplypower to the signal processing circuit.
 6. A data processing apparatuscomprising: a power controller for controlling powering on or off; adrive section for reading at least one of video and audio data from astorage medium; a signal processing circuit for processing at least oneof the video and audio data; and wherein, in response to a powering-offinstruction, the power controller stops supplying power to the drivesection but continues to supply power to at least one of the signalprocessing circuit and the power controller itself, and the dataprocessing apparatus further comprises a receiving section for receivinga signal containing at least one of a video signal and an audio signal;the signal processing circuit generates the data based on the receivedsignal; and in response the powering-off instruction, the powercontroller stops supplying power to the receiving section.